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SOCRATES SCROLHEJ..D 



Object of Knin)gl Fxistence 



BY 



SOCRATES SCHOLFIELD 



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Socrates Scholfield 



INTRODUCTION. 



From certain analogies that exist between the func- 
tional characteristics of inanimate machines of human 
origin, and similar characteristics pertaining to the animal 
mechanism, we may be able to determine what may be 
properly considered, as constituting the special object of 
animal existence. And such knowledge may be con- 
sidered as a legitimate object for scientific attainment, 
if we can conclusively show that the animal organism is 
a fabricating machine, and that the fabric produced there- 
by is in some degree included within our capabilities of 
sense-perception. To this important end, the arguments 
adduced in these pages are thought to be worthy of con- 
sideration. 

Socrates Scholfield. 

Providenxe, R. I., June, 1S96. 



Digitized by the Internet Archive 
in 2011 with funding from 
The Library of Congress 



http://www.archive.org/details/objectofanimalexOOscho 



THE OBJECT OF ANIMAL EXISTENCE. 



" So far as we know animals are conscious automata." — Huxley. 

As the result of scientific investigation, the 
conclusion has been reached that the animal 
organism is a machine, the operation of which 
is in accordance with the specific nature of its 
materials and the mechanical arrangements of 
its parts. We may therefore postulate, that 
the general laws which are applicable to the 
analogous correlated elements of inanimate 
machines, are also applicable to the corre- 
sponding correlated elements of the animal 
organism. 

The objective portion of the animal organism 
is mainly formed of protoplasmic cells, each cell 
having a separate individual life of its own, but 
also conserving the life interest of the whole 
community of cells with which it is connected, 
and by multiplication, building up the material 
body in the proper form, for the concomitant 
development therewith of the subjective gov- 
erning element, which serves to control and 



* From a series of Lectures before the Providence Franklin Society. 



THE OBJECT OF ANIMAL EXISTENCE. 

regulate the action of the organism in its en- 
vironment. 

The visible material body constitutes the dy- 
namic enginery of the organism ; whereas, an 
unseen element, which serves to determine the 
proper direction and application of the mechan- 
ical power of the organic enginery, to suit the 
varying circumstances of the environment, con- 
stitutes the governing mechanism. And in 
every machine made by man in which a gov- 
erning element is combined with a dynamic 
enginery, under such conditions that the ma- 
chine will act automatically to suit the varying 
conditions of the environment, as determined 
by the indicating action of a governor, the gov- 
erning mechanism has, in all cases, an inde- 
pendent and removable relation to the enginery 
of the organization, and may perform its in- 
herent indicating function, when so removed. 
But the dynamic enginery will in this case be 
rendered incapable of discriminating action, 
and inoperative for the purpose designed. 
Therefore, if it can be shown that a mechan- 
ical analogy exists, between the corresponding 
functional elements of the animal organism, 
and inanimate mechanisms, the governing ele- 
ment of the animal organism must, as in 



ANALYSIS OF GOVERNING .MECHANISM. 7 

analagous inanimate machines, be capable of 
performing its inherent functions when re- 
moved from the organic enginery with which 
it is connected. 

Hence, if the hypothesis that animals are 
machines is in accordance with fact, we should 
expect to find in some of the many machines 
made by man, a true analogy, adapted to throw 
light upon the relations that exist between the 
organic enginery, and the governing element 
of the animal organism. And in following out 
this assumed analogy, we must, as far as prac- 
ticable, restrict ourselves to the mechanical 
terms commonly applied to the related ele- 
ments of the known inanimate mechanism, in 
order to prevent confusion and misunderstand- 
ing, when thus making a comparison, between 
the functional elements of inanimate machines, 
and the corresponding elements of the animal 
organism to which a terminology, not applica- 
ble to the parts of inanimate machines, has 
been heretofore applied. 

An analysis of the governing mechanism, in 
those machines made by man, which are capable 
of discriminating action in the highest degree, 
indicates, as a specific member of the organiza- 
tion, a stable embodiment of balanced opposing 



b THE OBJECT OF ANIMAL EXISTENCE. 

forces, adapted for resistance and reaction, when 
subjected to the action of an external impinging 
energy. And that member of the organization 
in which the balanced opposing forces are in- 
herent, and capable of reactive resistance to 
external energies which tend to disturb the in- 
herent equilibrium, may in all cases be con- 
sidered as a governor of the mechanical organi- 
zation ; and such governor is in every instance, 
distinct and removable from the dynamic en- 
ginery. 

The separable relation which exists between 
the dynamic enginery, and the governing 
mechanism, is illustrated in the mechanism of 
a clock, wherein, upon the removal of the 
governing pendulum from the dynamic en- 
ginery of the organization, the suspended pen- 
dulum will vibrate uniformly, in seconds, as 
before, whenever its static equilibrium is dis- 
turbed, by the action of external forces. But 
the power of the enginery will be soon ex- 
pended by the rapid running down of the 
dynamic weight, without useful effect, the 
hands of the clock having, by the removal of 
the governing pendulum, been rendered inca- 
pable of indicating uniform intervals of time. 

We find upon analysis of the clock median- 



WW, VMS OF GOVERNING MECHANISM. 9 

ism, that the dynamic weight, the prime mover 
of the enginery, is endowed with a gravitating 
movement, which serves to actuate the wheels 
of the (dock in one continuous direction, but has 
no inherent power of movement in the opposite 
direction. Hence the energy of the downward 
movement, is wholly expended, without possi- 
bility of recovery. 

But on the contrary, the energy acquired 
through the action of gravity upon the pendu- 
lum weight, at one side of its line of static 
equilibrium, is stored therein, at its succeeding 
upward movement upon the opposite side, and 
is not transmitted from the pendulum. The 
governing pendulum therefore, represents a con- 
dition of stable equilibrium, while the dynamic 
weight, the prime mover of the enginery, 
is in an unstable condition ; and similar con- 
ditions of stable equilibrium pertain to all dis- 
criminating governors in inanimate machines. 

Hence, the governors of discriminating au- 
tomatic machines are found to exist under 
a mechanically different condition, from that 
which exists in the enginery ; and by our as- 
sumed analogy, the same fact must hold 
true, in regard to the corresponding elements 
of the animal organism, in which the governor, 



10 THE OBJECT OF ANIMAL EXISTENCE. 

must, as in inanimate machines, exist in a 
state of stable equilibrium, and therefore be 
separate and distinct from the unstable engin- 
ery of the organism. 

The animal organism will therefore include 
in its structure a mechanical combination of 
governing elements, which have an inherent 
stable equilibrium, with dynamical elements 
which are passing from a higher to a lower 
position ; the former retaining their inherent 
stability, when removed from the latter. Hence 
the subjective characteristic quality of any 
living organism will be determined by the 
characteristic qualities of its stable govern- 
ing elements. 

The discriminating action of an inanimate ma- 
chine is in all cases, without exception, depend- 
ent upon the induced mechanical resistance 
or reaction, which results in the governing mech- 
anism, when subjected to the action of external 
energies. And in reference to the function of 
mechanical resistance, in imparting conscious- 
ness to the governing element of the animal or- 
ganism, Herbert Spencer, says : " By suc- 
cessive decompositions of our knowledge, into 
simpler and simpler components, we come at 
last to the simplest — to the ultimate material 



THE SUBSTANCE OF MIND. 11 

— to the sub-stratum. What is this sub- 
stratum? It is the impression of resistance. 
This is the primoidal, the universal, the ever 
present constituent of consciousness:" 
"To be conceived, mechanical force must be 
represented in some state of consciousness. 
This state of consciousness must be one directly 
or indirectly, resulting from the actions of 
things on us or our actions on them. The 
states of consciousness produced by all other 
actions than mechanical action, we already 
represent to our minds in states such as those 
produced by mechanical action. There re- 
mains, therefore, no available state of con- 
sciousness save that produced by mechanical 
action."' He also says : " The conception of 
a state of consciousness implies the concep- 
tion of an existence which has that state. 
When on decomposing certain of our feelings 
we find them formed of minute shocks, succeed- 
ing one another with different rapidities and 
in different combinations ; and when we con- 
clude that all our feelings are probably formed 
of such units of consciousness variously com- 
bined, we are still obliged to conceive this 
unit of consciousness as a change wrought by 

♦ Principles of Psychology, Vol. •_:, pp. 232-38. 



12 THE OBJECT OF ANIMAL EXISTENCE. 

some force in something. No effort of imagi- 
nation enables us to think of a shock, however 
minute, except as undergone by an entity. 
We are compelled, therefore, to postulate a 
substance of Mind that is affected, before we 
can think of its affections." * 

A " substance of Mind " adapted for im- 
pressions of resistance and capable of reactive 
response to varying degrees of impinging 
energy, will suffice to establish a characteristic 
analogy between variably acting inanimate 
machines, and the conscious animal organism. 

Through the action of a mechanical governor 
man is able to impart to material mechanism 
the power of discriminating movement, which 
is a function of his own organism, thus ena- 
bling the inanimate mechanism to perform cer- 
tain actions parallel with his own. 

Now, if consciousness is the result of im- 
pressions of resistance or reaction, in the gov- 
ernor of the animal mechanism, we ought to be 
able to point out in some of the governors of 
inanimate machines, a species of resisting 
action, which may be considered as analogous to 
that developed in the conscious organic gov- 
ernor. 



♦Principles of Psychology, Vol. 1, p. 626. 



THE FORCES OF THE GOVERNOR. 13 

Considering" the rotary pendulum-governor 

as a suitable illustration, we find, that it in- 
cludes a ballot' matter, acted upon by the force 
of gravity, an opposite force of suspension, and 
a force of rotation, which develops a centrifu- 
gal force, tending to carry the ball outwardly 
from under the point of suspension, until a 
complete balance of the gravitating, suspen- 
sory, and centrifugal forces, has been attained. 
We thus have in the pendulum-governor a 
balanced series of forces, two of which are ca- 
pable of reaction against external impinging 
energies which tend to disturb the equilibrium. 

Tf we consider the sliding collar of the pen- 
dulum-governor, as the representation of an 
organ of sense, by means of which the balanced 
forces of the governor may be mechanically 
influenced to a state of resistance or reaction ; 
and impart an impulse to the sliding collar 
from an external source of energy, then the 
equilibrium between the forces of the governor 
will be disturbed, with the resulting develop- 
ment of resistance and reaction, which has been 
considered as the basis of consciousness in the 
animal organism. 

Hence, mechanical analogy indicates, that 
animal consciousness may pertain to a stable 



14 THE OBJECT OF ANIMAL EXISTENCE. 

system of equilibratory forces, which character- 
ize the organic governor, consciousness result- 
ing from a disturbance of the inherent equili- 
brium of these forces. 

Certain illusions of sense, to which all 
are subject, absolutely prevent a true concep- 
tion of the present existing condition, and the 
real function of the animal organism. The 
most radical of these illusions, consists in the 
common conception of the nature of sensible 
light, as something which really exists, pre- 
cisely as recognized by visual consciousness, 
exteriorily, in the environment ; whereas, on 
the contrary, it should be considered as a man- 
ufactured product, existing exclusively within 
the limits of the animal organism. 

The normal sensation of light is produced by 
the vibratory movement of the ether, which 
pervades all space ; the particular number of 
mechanical vibrations required therein, to im- 
part to the governing element of the animal 
organism, the sensation of light, as distin- 
guished from the number of vibrations which 
result in a sensation of darkness, in no wise 
changing the physical constitution of the me- 
dium itself. Hence between the animal eye, 
and the objects in the environment, there 



THE ILLUSIONS OF SENSE. 15 

must always exist the total darkness of mere 
mechanical motion. 

The sensation of sound is also produced in 
the animal organism by the effect of undula- 
tory motion in the environing air, which un- 
dulatory motion though silent in itself, pro- 
duces the sensation of sound in the sense-sub- 
stance of consciousness. 

Herbert Spencer, upon this important subject, 
says: "After learning that when a tumbler is 
struck, the blow causes in it a change of form, 
instantly followed by an opposite change of 
form, after which there recurs the first form 
and so on — after perceiving that each of 
these rhythmical changes of form gives an im- 
pact to substances in contact with the tumbler, 
generating visible waves on the surface of its 
contained liquid, and waves having like periods 
in the surrounding air — when it has been 
proved to us that the feeling of tone results 
only when such mechanical oscillations of ad- 
jacent matter recur with a certain speed — 
when, further, we find that these mechanical 
oscillations produce this feeling only when 
they fall on a particular structure, and that, 
when they fall on other structures, they pro- 
duce feelings of totally unlike kinds ; we be- 



16 THE OBJECT OF ANIMAL EXISTENCE. 

come full J convinced that the form of objec- 
tive action we call sound, has not the slightest 
kinship in nature to the sensation of sound it 
arouses in us. Similarly with modulations in 
the ethereal medium. Now that we know heat 
and light to be nearly allied forms of insensible 
motion, which may arise by transformation of 
sensible motion and may be retransformed into 
it, we are convinced that among the outer ac- 
tions which arouse in us the feelings of light, 
heat, and sensible motion, there can be no 
such intrinsic differences as among the feelings 
we know by these names ; and that hence 
these feelings cannot be like them. There 
follows irresistably the conclusion that the 
same holds of tastes and smells — that a bitter 
flavour implies in the substance yielding it 
nothing like what we call bitterness, and that 
there is no intrinsic sweetness in the exhaled mat- 
ter which we distinguish as a sweet odour ; but 
that, in these cases as in the others, the objec- 
tive action which sets up the subjective state, 
no more resembles it than the pressure which 
moves the trigger of a gun resembles the ex- 
plosion which follows." ..." All the 
sensations produced in us by environing things 



CONDITION OK THE ENVIRONMENT. 17 

are hut symbols of actions out of ourselves the 
natures of which we cannot even conceive." 

The animal organism must therefore be con- 
sidered as a machine performing its functions 
in the dark and silent enveloping mediums of 
ether and air, which mediums are mechanically 
disturbed by waves of motion, certain sets of 
which are capable of concentration by the 
mechanism of the eye and the ear, with the 
consequent fabrication of light and sound, inte- 
riorilyof the organism. And it is only through 
individual apperception of the fact, that the 
entire outer world must exist unchangeably in 
the absolute darkness and silence of mere me- 
chanical motion, that we can be at all prepared 
to realize the ultimate object of the present 
state of animal existence upon the earth, and 
the nature of the immediate future condition 
of the governing elements of the animal organ- 
ism, when they are separated from the organic 
enginery with which they are mechanically 
connected. 

It has been recently shown that each nerve 
cell of the brain together with its processes and 
fibers is a separate entity, and not organically 



• Principles of Psychology, Vol. l. pp. 20C-6. 



18 THE OBJECT OF ANIMAL EXISTENCE. 

continuous with anything else.* It is therefore 
evident that sensory impulses do not pass by 
an uninterrupted pathway from one nerve-cell 
to another, or from a nerve-cell to other cells 
of the brain. 

And in every inanimate fabric-manufactur- 
ing machine, the special mechanical elements 
which occur at the place of fabric-manufac- 
ture, are likewise not continuous with each 
other. But there invariably exists a space be- 
tween these elements which is occupied by the 
material from which the fabric is to be formed. 
Mechanical analogy therefore indicates that 
the material, from which the subjective sense- 
fabrics are to be formed in the animal organ- 
ism, must be found between the terminations 
of the discontinuous fibers and the opposite 
cell-processes, whereby, upon the passage of 
the sensory impulse from the one to the other, 
through an intervening medium, the required 
fabrication will be effected. 

Furthermore, in all inanimate machines for 
the production of useful fabrics, the manufac- 
tured fabric, is, without any exception, re- 
movably distinct from the machine by means 
of which it was formed. Analogy therefore 



* Popular Science Monthly. Vol. 43, p. 372. 



MECHANICAL ACTION OF THE BRAIN. 



19 



demands that the subjective sense-symbols fab- 
ricated in the animal organism, must also he 
separate and removably distinct from the or- 
ganic enginery by means of which they were 
fabricated. 

The sensory nerve-cells of the brain are not 
capable of independent movement, but the 
neuroglia-cells, which are richly scattered 
throughout the brain tissues are amoeboid, 
and provided with very numerous fine pro- 
cesses occupying the space between the nerve- 
cells and blood-vessels or capillaries. These 
cells are enabled to expand or retract their 
fine hair-like processes and are thus adapted 
to cause a change in the space between the 
intersecting fibers and processes of the nerve- 
cells, and the blood-vessels.* 

One of the physiological conditions of any 
mental action is an increased supply of blood 
to the brain, which is accompanied by a dilata- 
tion of the cerebral blood-vessels, and this dila- 
ation will also operate mechanically to cause 
a change in the relative position of the fibers 
and processes of the sensory nerve-cells. The 
structural elements of the brain are therefore 
adapted for mechanical operation. 



♦Scientific American, Vol. 73. p. 186, 



20 THE OBJECT OF ANIMAL EXISTENCE. 

The materials of which the animal organism 
is constructed are derived wholly from the 
vascular system, the blood-vessels of which ex- 
tend to every part of the brain, between the 
nerve-cells and fibers. 

The circulating blood is supplied with minute 
animal organisms, a large proportion of which 
have the power of amoeboid movement and 
discriminating action.* They must, there- 
fore, by mechanical analogy, be composed of 
both stable and unstable elements, and thus be 
capable, upon their dissolution, of providing 
the required stable molecules for the manufac- 
ture of the subjective fabrics of the animal 
organism. Hence, such fabrication may be 
effected upon the passage of a nerve-impulse at 
the intersections of the fibers and processes 
of the nerve-cells, with the blood-vessels. 

In support of this theory, we have the fact 
that for every thought or emotion, however 
slight, which occurs in the animal organism, a 
fresh supply of blood material is required in 
the brain. And at every pressure upon the 
brain, by means of which the circulation is im- 
peded, all consciousness of self-existence is an- 
nihilated. The continuous manufacture of 



* Smithsonian Report, 1893, p. 456. 



ANIMAL INTELLIGENCE. 21 

sense-fabrics upon which such consciousness 
depends being thereby suspended. 

In reference to the classification of occurring 

states of consciousness with before-experienced 
states. Spencer says : "But we have also seen 
that states of consciousness successively arising, 
can become elements of thought only by being 
known as like certain before-experienced states. 
If no note be taken of the different states as 
they occur — if they pass through conscious- 
ness simply as images pass over a mirror there 
can be no intelligence, however long the pro- 
cess be continued. Intelligence can arise only 
by the classification of these states."' 

The classification of states of consciousness 
with before-experienced states, pertains to 
their registry in an organized fabric. Hence, 
it appears that intelligence is possible in the 
animal organism, only as an accompaniment of 
fabric-manufacture. 

In the fabrication of sense-symbols of light 
in the animal organism, a moving object in the 
environment causes the transmission of a 
laterally-shifting sensory impulse, through the 
optic-nerve, to the governing sense-substance 
of conscious sight, thus producing the idea of 



' Principles of Psychology, Vol. 2, p. 300. 



22 THE OBJECT OF ANIMAL EXISTENCE. 

movement, while at the same time the cells and 
fibers which are related to this governing 
sense-substance, are in a relatively fixed posi- 
tion. The phenomena of movement, in sight, 
therefore depends, upon a lateral change in the 
position of a specific sensory impulse, which is 
passing through the optic-nerve. And this 
change of position, with respect to the sta- 
tionary cells and fibers pertaining to the sense 
of sight, indicates that the source from which 
the specific impulse originates, is endowed with 
movement. The field of sight in the brain 
pertains to a definite location, and the con- 
sciousness of a specific movement across this 
field, can only be produced by a change in the 
position of the specific sensory impulse, rela- 
tively to the cells and fibers of the brain, and 
to the governing sense-snbstance. 

In the subjective phenomena of dreams, a 
sensory impulse moving across the field of sight 
is produced by peripherally presented sense- 
images, which have a movable relation to each 
other and to consciousness, like that pertaining 
to the natural objects in the outer world. The 
sense-symbols from which these dream-images 
are formed in consciousness, must, therefore, 
be movably distinct from the governing sense- 



THE GOVERNOK AND SENSE-SYMBOLS. '23 

substance, and the relatively fixed cells and 
fibers of the brain, by means of which they 
were originally fabricated. 

The relatively fixed cells and fibers of the 
brain, cannot, therefore, be considered as con- 
stituting the organic elements of sense-images, 
but as pertaining only to the enginery, by 
means of which the sense-symbols are originally 
fabricated. 

It thus appears that the hypothesis that ani- 
mals are machines, cannot be logically enter- 
tained, without the acceptance, as a fact, that 
a complete separable relation must exist be- 
tween the organic enginery and the governor, 
and that the manufactured sense-symbols have 
a movable relation to both the enginery, and 
the removable governor of the organism. 

To illustrate the relation, which in this view 
may reasonably exist, between the removed 
governor of the animal organism, and the sense- 
symbols fabricated in connection therewith ; 
reference may be made to the phonograph, 
the rotary wax-cylinder of which has upon its 
surface various indented symbols of sound, 
fabricated by the transmission of the proper 
vibrations from an outer source of energy, to 
the resilient diaphragm which has the charac- 



24 THE OBJECT OF ANIMAL EXISTENCE. 

teristics of a true governor. This wax-cylinder 
of indented symbols of sound, when readjusted, 
and supplied with rotary motion in a new en- 
vironment, is capable of reproducing in the 
governing diaphragm, the specific impressions 
of molecular resistance, formerly produced 
therein, by the impinging undulations set in 
motion by the removed outer source of energy ; 
"impressions of resistance," constituting, as 
Spencer affirms, the "substratum" of animal 
consciousness. 

In the production of a mechanical result a 
combination of three elements is necessary ; 
and given these three elements, a fourth element 
may be fabricated by their conjoint mechanical 
action. If the three mechanical elements, 
comprising a lever, fulcrum, and power, are 
employed to raise a weight, constituting a 
fourth element ; then upon the removal of the 
original element of power, we still have a com- 
bination of three elements, including the raised 
weight, which may be caused to act reversely 
with useful effect. 

In the animal organism we have the organic 
enginery, the governor, and the environing 
energies by means of which special sense- 
symbols are manufactured ; and upon the 



RECURRENCE OF SENSE-SYMBOLS. 2- r ) 

removal of the organic enginery, there remains 
the governor, the manufactured fabric of sense- 
symbols, and the environing energies, which 
are amply sufficient for continued organic 
fabrication. 

Hence, mechanical analogy indicates, that 
in the scientifically known future environment 
of etherial and molecular motion; into the 
darkness and silence of which, the removed 
governor of the animal organism — wholly de- 
prived of its present peripheral organs of 
sense — must inevitably pass; the previously 
acquired sense-symbols of the organism, may, 
under the action of environing molecular and 
etherial energies, provide a basis for continued 
fabrication, and conscious individual exist- 
ence. 

The involuntary recurrence of sense-symbols 
in the animal organism, has in all ages, con- 
stituted the basis of a belief in a future state 
of existence ; and in reference to the mechan- 
ism by means of which these symbols are auto- 
matically presented to consciousness, Draper 
says : " Savage or civilized, we carry about 
within us, a mechanism intended to present 
us with mementoes of the most solemn facts 
with which we can be concerned, and the voice 



26 THE OBJECT OF ANIMAL EXISTENCE. 

of history tells us that it has ever been true to 
its design. It wants only moments of repose 
or of sickness, when the influence of external 
things is diminished, to come into full play, 
and these are precisely the moments when we 
are the best prepared for the truths it is going 
to suggest. Such a mechanism is in keeping 
with the manner in which the course of nature 
is fulfilled, and bears in its very style the im- 
press of invariability of action. It is no re- 
specter of persons. It neither permits the 
haughtiest to be free from its monitions, nor 
leaves the humblest without the consolations 
of a knowledge of another life. Liable to no 
mischances nor loss, open to no opportunity of 
being tampered with by the designing or inter- 
ested, requiring no extraneous human agency 
for its effect upon every man, but involuntarily 
ever present with each wherever he may go, 
it marvelously extracts from the vestiges of 
the impressions of the past, overwhelming 
proofs of the reality of the future."* 

Every animal organism at some time in its 
development is subject to physical transforma- 
tion ; and it is a general law of nature that for 



♦Apparitions and Visions, by John W. Draper, Harper's Magazine, 
Vol. 11, p. 383. 



LAW OF ANIMAL TRANSFORMATION. 27 

every transformation which occurs in the life 
of an animal organism, there must have been 
a preceding preparatory stage, in which the 
necessary materials for effecting the coming 
change were collected from the environment, 
and assimilated by the organism. 

It is also a general law of animal transforma- 
tion, that the newly developed organs required 
for initial action at the opening of the changed 
life condition, must have been first built up, 
and their functions in a more or less restricted 
degree exercised, prior to the full completion 
of the transformation. Or in other words, for 
the most essential functions to be immediately 
performed in any changed state of existence, 
such function must have been in some limited 
degree performed, in the immediate prior con- 
dition of the organism. 

Hence, if the death of an animal organism, 
implies a transformation from one life condi- 
tion to another, through the removal of the 
organic enginery from the governing mechan- 
ism, a prior physical preparation for such a 
transformation is necessary. And since death 
may happen to the animal organism at any 
time, the preparation for this event should be 
constant and unremitting. 



28 THE OBJECT OF ANIMAL EXISTENCE. 

Therefore, if we cannot point out the re- 
quired constant and unceasing physical prepar- 
tion for a future state of existence, at death, 
the fact of such future existence cannot be 
scientifically admitted, but must remain a mat- 
ter of faith, without the support of scientific 
evidence. 

When we come to realize that the apparent 
beauty and harmony, developed in nature and 
art, is not an external reality, but is simply an 
original fabrication, effected entirely within 
the limits of the animal organism, through the 
dynamic effect of the mechanical undulations, 
which occur directly between the external ob- 
jects and the organs of sense ; and to know that 
these undulations are being constantly em- 
ployed during the entire conscious existence of 
the animal organism in the manufacture of 
sense-symbols which have a peripheral relation 
to consciousness, we can clearly see that the 
first mentioned law, which requires an inces- 
sant constructive preparation for a coming 
transformation at death, may, in the fabrica- 
tion of such sense-symbols, be fully complied 
with in the animal organism. But we have 
also to apply the test of the law of prior lim- 
ited exercise, in this life, of those peripheral 



PERCEPTION OF SENSE-SYMBOLS. 29 

functions which will be required in their full 
perfection in a continued conscious state of ex- 
istence, from which the present objects of 
sense, and the peripheral organic enginery of 
sensation and motion, are wholly separated. 

And in this respect we are able to point out 
the required preparatory exercise of the fabri- 
cated sense-symbols, in the dreams and visions 
which occur with varying degrees of vividness 
and coherence, in the animal organism, from 
infancy to extreme old age, in which the sense- 
symbols appear peripherally to consciousness, 
in various combinations, with all the observed 
attributes of the natural and artificial objects, 
from which they were fabricated ; these sense- 
symbols being often perceived, with practically 
the full vividness of light and sound, and with 
all the minuteness of mechanical detail, per- 
taining to the material objects, from which 
they were derived. 

During the involuntary presentation of these 
symbols, in this preparatory experimental con- 
dition of consciousness, the various sensations 
are reproduced in the organic governing- 
mechanism, that were primarily produced 
therein by the material phenomena of the 
outer world ; the resulting desires and emo- 



30 THE OBJECT OF ANIMAL EXISTENCE. 

tions being such as might occur in a state of 
existence, in which the organic governor was 
removed from its present dynamic enginery 
and material environment. 

May we not, therefore, reasonably conclude, 
that the present existence of animal organisms, 
is for the purpose of fabricating from the dark 
and silent energies of the physical world, po- 
tential sense-symbols of light, sound, and 
form, which are to become active elements for 
reproducing the sensations of light, sound, and 
form, in a subsequent state of existence, in 
which, each organic governor removed from its 
enginery, will be actuated to self-consciousness, 
through its own manufactured sense-fabric ? 

To die — to sleep — 
To sleep, perchance to dream — ay — there's the rub — 
For in that sleep of death, what dreams may come, 
When we have shuffled off this mortal coil, 
Must give us pause. — HamleVs Soliloquy. 

The existence of an inanimate fabricating 
machine, implies an independently existing 
manufacturer, for whose use and benefit the 
machine was constructed, and by whose applied 
motive power the machine is actuated. The 
manufacturer, by the employment of his ma- 
chines, being able to produce desirable fab- 
rics that could not be produced from the pro- 
vided fabric material without their aid. 



THE SUPREME MANUFACTURER. 31 

Now, if the existence of an inanimate fabri- 
cating machine implies an independently ex- 
isting manufacturer, we may analogically infer 
that the existence of an animate animal organ- 
ism must imply an independently existing 
Supreme Manufacturer, whose use and benefit 
the animate machine is to subserve, in the 
proper production of its appropriate fabric. 
Hence the acceptance of the hypothesis that 
animals are machines, employed in the produc- 
tion of sense-symbols, enjoins a definite theo- 
logical conclusion. 



I III I II I 
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